This year, Glenfarclas distillery celebrates their 185th anniversary. Of course, that had to be combined with a special celebratory release. And also of course, I got a bottle for bottle-sharing!
This one filled up surprisingly quickly, so all I had to myself is the targeted 10cl, and over the last weekend I decided to drink it. And ‘taste’ it, which is the same as drinking, but accompanied by writing tasting notes.
The description states that it was drawn from ‘sherry and other casks’, so my guess is that there’s at least some bourbon casks involved too. Maybe some other styles as well, but these are a minority, if they’re at all present.
What’s also interesting is that they used casks from the last six decades to blend this dram together. So there is some 50-odd year old whisky in the mix.
Sniff:
For a NAS bottling, 46% and Glenfarclas in general, it’s pretty fierce on the nose. Dry spices with almond flour and sawdust. A hint of orange pith, leather and blackberries. A whiff of vanilla crumble too.
Sip:
The dryness continues with lots of oaky notes, almond flour, lots of dryness. A slightly bitter note with a grainy texture. Quite fruity, vanilla custard with blackberries, sweet cherry and some apricot jam.
Swallow:
The finish is a bit more generic of a dry, sherry cask, Glenfarclas. Quite long with lots of wood, leather and baking spices.
The reviews on Whiskybase keep this at around a 90 point average and I think that’s a bit too much. The dryness combined with the fruits make for a very tasty and quite complex dram, but to get to a true 90, the dryness is a bit too prominent.
Still, with these clocking in at € 115 (MSRP) it’s very well worth the money. Especially since the youngest whisky in it isn’t leading the experience too much!
89/100
Malt Fascination 